Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character who is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company. Created by Walt Disney and his cartoonist partner Ub Iwerks, he has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. An anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears outfits with a red, yellow and white color scheme, Mickey is depicted as a pleasant, cheerful Everyman with a mischievous and adventurous side, who lives in his own universe with his girlfriend Minnie Mouse and various friends. Mickey debuted in Steamboat Willie, one of the first cartoons with sound, in 1928. Mickey went on to star in over 100 short films, and various feature films such as Fantasia. He has also been featured in a newspaper comic strip, several comic book series, television series such as The Mickey Mouse Club, and video games; and has also been a mainstay meetable character at Disney's theme parks. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to be honored with a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame." History with the Macy's Parade In the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mickey has appeared as a balloon in four versions. Mickey Mouse (1934) The first original Mickey Mouse balloon appeared in 1934, making him the fourth pop-culture character to have a licensed balloon in the parade. This balloon was 40 feet tall, 26 feet wide, and required 25 handlers. To tie-in with Macy's, Walt Disney himself recommended the balloon have a star on his chest to represent the Macy's Logo. Alongside Mickey in the parade were fellow Disney characters Pluto, Horace Horsecollar, The Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, and eventually Donald Duck. In 1935, the balloon got a minor paint job to have a bigger star on his chest. This balloon was retired after 1935. A few years after this, he was moved to Boston for the Santason Parade in 1938, which made him the first Macy's balloon to ever appear in an outside Parade. He hasn't been seen since this appearance. Mickey Mouse (1971) 37 years after his original balloon got retired, a second balloon, which was slightly more colorful, was created in 1971. It had 3 successful test flights that year (with a Mickey walk-around also appearing to see the newbie) that made him the only balloon to take 3 test flights and was scheduled to debut that parade alongside Smile to celebrate the opening of the Walt Disney World resort in Florida. However, strong winds reaching up to 60 mph and heavy rain mixed together to create weather unsuitable for flying balloons, thus resulting in the only occasion in parade history where the giant balloons were grounded. As such, he started his first march in 1972, appearing alongside fellow Disney character Donald Duck. 1935, 1971 and 1972 are the only years in the Parade's history where Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse both appeared in the parade together as balloons. The second balloon itself was a replacement for the second Donald Duck balloon that appeared from 1962 to 1972. The balloon continued to appear until after the 1983 parade due to extreme damage done to the balloon during the preparation of that year's parade. After that, his 1982 appearance was used in the 1986 parade telecast as part of a presentation showcasing retired balloons. Parts of the balloon, including one of his shoes, used to survive in the original Parade Studio but were most likely disposed of when they moved to the current building in 2011. Bandleader Mickey Mouse (2000) After 17 years of absence, Mickey returned in 2000 with a "Bandleader" balloon, which led that year's balloon lineup. The design was based on Mickey's first-ever colored cartoon, The Band Concert, which debuted in 1935. 2000 was the only year this balloon appeared. Despite this, the balloon is speculated to still survive. Sailor Mickey Mouse (2009-2012) Several years later, the fourth balloon of Mickey was made, depicting him as a sailor, it debuted in 2009 to celebrate the announcement of the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy cruise ships. That same year, he appeared as a cold-air inflatable upon one of three Macy's 34th Street marquees. This new Mickey was retired in 2012, as both ships had set sail by that time. Since this balloon's retirement, a new Mickey balloon has yet to be created. Other Appearances Additionally, Mickey's "meetable character" version from the Disney Parks has appeared in the parade on various occasions. The Mickey walk-around first appeared in the 1968 parade, to celebrate the character's 40th birthday. He later appeared during the second Mickey balloon's test flight, and then from 1969-1976 appeared on a wagon (mainly with the walk-around Pluto and Goofy) that appeared alongside the other Disney floats and balloons and then was moved to the castle float in 1977, 1978 and 1980. He then appeared again in 1981 on a float promoting that park's Tencennial anniversary celebration. After 1981, the Mickey walk-around did not appear regularly in the Macy's parade, due to the Disney Parks having their own Christmas Day Parade, which was the first telecast in 1983 and is filmed exactly one month before Christmas; and also due to Disney's acquisition of ABC, whose affiliate WPVI has since featured Mickey on a "castle" float at its own Thanksgiving Day Parade. However, he did return in 1984 on a float celebrating the 30th anniversary of Disneyland and in 1985, except without any Disney balloon following it and most recently in 2005 on the special "50th Anniversary of Disney Parks Magic" float where he, a multitude of other Disney characters, and country singer LeAnn Rimes appeared to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Disney Parks. Music Below, you will find a list of the music that played during the balloon's appearance on the NBC telecast * Generic Macy's Music (1971-1977) * ''The New Mickey Mouse Club ''Theme (1978-1982) * Unknown (2000) * "Mickey Mouse March" (Matching band arrangement, 2009-2012) Balloons * Original Mickey Mouse (1934-1935) * Mickey Mouse (1971-1983) * Bandleader Mickey Mouse (2000) * Sailor Mickey Mouse (2009-2012) Total appearances - 19 Mascots *Mickey's 40th Birthday (1968) *Disney Wagon (1969-1976) *Test Flight (1971) *Walt Disney World Castle Float (1977-1980) *Walt Disney World Tencennial (1981) *Disneyland's 30th Anniversary (1984-1985) *Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary of Disney Park Magic (2005) Incidents * In 1971, Mickey couldn't make his debut due to 60 mile per hour winds and heavy rain that caused all of the balloons to be grounded. This means that Smile and Mickey had to make their proper debut the following year. * In 1972 and 1975, The winds pushed Mickey dangerously to the ground at the start. Due to this, the balloon's handlers were having a tough time putting the balloon back up into the air. Luckily, the balloon went back up and wasn't damaged. * In 1973, Mickey's left ear was a little ripped. * In 1982, Mickey was pushed around by strong winds at the start. As he was being pushed around, the balloon's foot hit a street sign with his foot and began to tilt. When the balloon reached Herald Square, his right ear was bent and his head was also bent causing the balloon's head to look into the air during his appearance, the balloon, however, didn't get any damage. * In 1983 Originally, Mickey was supposed to be between Bullwinkle and Olive Oyl seen on the Parade Preview from a New York Times Newspaper from 1983 as seen below, but however he was delayed thanks to Underdog, then he ended being between Olive Oyl and Kermit the Frog, but however it got much worse, Mickey's arm was ripped off by his inflation crew during preparation and later exploded while the balloon was being inflated. Since the balloon was damaged badly, the balloon couldn't be used again and had to be fully retired as a result and wasn't mentioned on the NBC telecast. Defects * In 1974 and 1981, Mickey's right leg was slightly bent. * In 1978, Mickey's right ear was possibly bent or deflated. * In 1980, Mickey's left arm was slightly bent. Gallery Gallery: Mickey Mouse Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Cartoon Characters Category:Movie Characters Category:1934 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:1971 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2000 Macy's Thanksigivng Day Parade Category:2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Big Balloons Category:Retired Balloons Category:1930s Balloons Category:1970s Balloons Category:2000s Balloons Category:Holiday Ambassadors Category:Goodyear Balloons Category:Raven Aerostar Balloons Category:Balloons that no longer exist Category:Balloons that were in an accident Category:Balloons that got removed from the parade Category:Balloons not talked about on their NBC telecast Category:Comic Book Characters